The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-12

GaSnWILER- Ike the uiNerEliiG
RAYS of another sun-the Capitol-a thing |
to be feared by the naked eye. Later |
vet it grew hotter, and then a mist arose
from the Potomac and blotted out the
blazing arch above, and presently piled
M along the horizon delusive thunder clouds
that spent their strength and substance else
where, and left it hotter than before. To
ward evening the sun came out invigorated,
having cleared the heavenly brow of perspira-
ton, but leaving its fever undated.
The city was deserted. The few who re-
manned apparently buried themselves from
the garish light of day in some dim, cloistered
recess OF shop, hotel restaurant, and the
pe.ssiring stranger, dazcd by the outer glare,
who broke III upon their quiet, sequestercd re-
pose, confronted eollarless and coatless spec
tiers of the past, with fans in their hands, who,
after drcamily going through some perfunct-
ory business Immediately retired to sleep after
the stranger had gone. Congressman and
senator's had long since returned to their sew
eral constituencies, with the various informa-
ton chat the country was going to ruin, or
that the outlook never was moro hopeful and
cheering, as the tastes of their constituency
indicated. \ few cabinet officers still fingered,
they could do nothing their own way, or indeed
in any way but the Old way, and getting gloom
ily resigned TO their situation. A body of
learned, cultivated men, representing the
highest legal tribunal il tho land, still
fingered in vague idea of earning the scant
salary bestowed upon them by the economical
founders of the government, and listened
patiently TO the arguments of counsel, whose
fees for advocacy of claims before them
would have paid the life income of half the
bench. There was Mr.. Attorney General
and his assistants still protecting the govern
Inents millions from rapacious hands, and
drawing the yearly public pittance that their
wealthier private antagonists would have
scarce given rs n retainer to their junior
counsel The little standing army of de
partmental employes-the helpless victims Of
the most senseless and idio;ic form of disci-
pline the world has known-a discipline SO
made up of caprice, expediency, cowartiice
and tyranny that its reform meant revoiu-
ton. not to be tolerated by Legislators and
lawgivers, despotism in which half a
dozen accidentally chosen men interpreted
their prcjudiecs of preference as being that
reform Administration after administra-
ton and party after party had persisted in
their desperate attempts to fit the youthful
colonial garments, made by our fathers after
a by-gone fashion, over the expanded limits
ana generous outline of matured nation.
There were patches here and there; there
were grievous rents and holes here and there;
there were lulicrous and painful exposures of
growing limbs everywhere; and the party in
power and the party out of power could DO
nothing but mend and patch, and Tevamp
and cleanse and scour, and occasionally, in
the wildnoss of despair, suggest even the cut
ting of the rcbellous limbs that persisted in
growing beyond the swaGldlng clothes Qlts
infancy.
1t was capital of contradictions and in
consistencies. AT one end of the avenue sat
the responsible high keeper of the military
honor, va.or and wariike prestige of a great
nation, without the power to pay his own
troops their legal dues until some selfish
quarrel between party and party was settled.
Hard by sat another secretary, whose estab-
lisde'l functions seemed to be the misrepre-
sentatiol O. the nation abroad by the least
chaTar: :-.,i of it, classes, the politicians
and onl;- ths Il wien they had been defeated
as po.i'ic iaf.5, and when their constituents had
declared them no longer worthy to be even
their representatives. The national absurdity
only equale,l by another, wherein
politician was for four years expected to up
hold the honor of IL flag of great nation
over an ocean he had never tempted, with q
discipline the rudiments of which he could
scarcely acquire before he was removed, or
his term OF Office expired, receiving his orders
from superior officer as ignorNnt of his
special duties as himself, and subjected to the
revision Of a congress cognizant of him only
ms a politician. At the further end OF the
avenue was another department SO vast in its
extent and SO varied in its functions that few
of the really great practical workers of the
land would have accepted its responsibility
for ten times its salary, but which the most
perfect constitution in the world handed over
to who were obliged to make it a step
ping stone 10 future preferment. There was
another department., more suggestive of its
financial functions from the occasional ex-
travagauces or economics exhibited in its pay
rolla-sncctssivec onyrcsses having taken other
matters out of ITS hands-presided over by an
official who bore the title and responsibility
oil the custodian and disburser of the nations
purse, and received n salary that bank
president would have shifted at. For it was
part Of this constitutional inconsistency and
administrative absurdity that in the matter
Of honor, justice, fidelity to trust and even
business integrity, the official was always ex-
pected to tic the superior of the government
he represented Vet the browning inconsist-
ency was that, from time to time, it was sub
mittetl to the sovereign people to declare If
these various Inconsistencies were not really
the perfect expression of the most perfect
government the world had known. And it
is to be recorded that the unanimous voices OF
representative, orator and unfettered poetry
We're that it was,
Even the public press lent itself tn the great
Inconsistency. Ii was as clear crystal 10
the journal ON side Of the avenue that the
country was going To the dogs unless the
spirit of the fathers once more terminated
the public. it was equally clear to the journal
the other side of the avenue that only q
rigid adherence to the letter of the fathers
would save tho nation from decline II was
obvious 10 the first named Journal that the
letter meant government patronage to the
other journal; it was potent To that journa
that the ",helels' Of Senator Y really ami
mated the spirit OF the fathers Yet al
agreed that it was a great and good aiAi per
feet government ect~bnly to the preia
tory incursions of "A hydra headed monste
known ring" The rings origin wa
wrapped in secrecy, its fecundity was alarm
ing; bet although its rapacity was prefer
natural it, digestion was perfect and easy
Ii circunvolvei all affairs in an atmo~pher
OF mystery; IL cloudei all things with tn
dust and ashes of distrtrst. All disappoini